EPStromNet - Extant Peritidal Stromatolite Network

叠层石是在前寒武纪和中生代（35亿年前）的化石记录中发现的最早的宏观生命形式，至今仍在形成。叠层石的特征是它们的层状碳酸钙结构，通过微生物（细菌，特别是蓝细菌，硅藻和真核生物，特别是硅藻）活动和地球化学过程之间的密切耦合产生，以创建持久的地质结构。在过去的二十年里，在南非、澳大利亚和英国的海滩发现了一种新类型的叠层石，即潮周（海岸）叠层石。EPStromNet将与来自三大洲的领先国际研究人员建立新的合作关系，解决支撑这些新发现的微生物地质系统基本性质的关键科学问题。该团队结合了资深和早期职业科学家，互补的专业知识，以及在提供领先的国际科学方面的出色记录。EPStromNet将汇集微生物和宏观生态学、地球化学、同位素化学和沿海地貌学方面的专门知识，形成一个新的伙伴关系。尖端的下一代测序和生态信息学工具将用于确定大陆内部和大陆之间叠层石群落的多样性和组成的相似性和差异。这些相似性和差异将与实地地质测绘和建模方法保持一致，以确定现在和过去（不同海平面状态期间）叠层的相关地质条件。叠层石可以被看作是微型岛屿，因此，让我们来解决岛屿地理学的问题，如在何种程度上环境选择和扩散的限制影响的多样性和组成的社区生活在或他们。这个网络提供了一个独特的机会，以米到数千公里的规模探索这种宏观生态问题。此外，我们分析的深度和分类学广度将使我们能够询问这些驱动因素在分类群之间的差异程度。我们还将测量微生物多糖“胶”的特性，它结合了微生物结构和捕获颗粒，以及它与碳酸盐结构的关联，碳酸盐结构是形成基质的关键因素。宏基因组学（对群落中基因的分析）和活性实验将首次深入了解代谢过程，以及它们如何导致二氧化碳捕获和碳酸钙结构的形成。这将建立假设，构成未来合作的基础。因此，这项研究包括对一系列叠层石系统的地球生物学动力学和驱动因素（基因到地圈）的世界第一次调查，现在才可行，因为在三个地点中的每一个都发现了这些生态系统。以前没有对这些基质进行过直接的全球评估，也没有对任何可比的基质进行过评估。成果将包括对创建这些地球生物学系统的过程的新见解，解决全球空间尺度上不同类群的人口水平相似性问题，并产生新的想法来解释早期生命和其他世界生命所需的条件。全球任何地方都没有直接保护围膜叠层，但作为一种罕见的栖息地，必须记录群落（包括新的类群），了解它们如何形成，并确定它们对环境变化的敏感性，以便它们能够得到适当的保护。EPStromNet将建立这种新的研究伙伴关系，这种伙伴关系将通过支持早期职业研究人员，开发研究生机会和确定新的研究计划和资助机会的计划持续到未来。

Stromatolites are the earliest macroscale lifeforms which are found in the fossil record during the Precambrian and Phanerozoic eras (3.5 billion years ago) and still form today. The characteristic feature of stromatolites is their laminated calcium carbonate structure produced through a close coupling between microbial (Bacteria particularly cyanobacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya, particularly diatoms) activity and geochemical processes, to create a persistent geological structure. Within the last two decades a new type of stromatolite, peritidal (upper shore) stromatolites, was discovered in beach locations in South Africa, Australia and the U.K. EPStromNet will develop a new collaboration of leading international researchers from three continents, that will address key scientific questions underpinning the fundamental nature of these newly identified microbial-geological systems. The assembled team combines senior and early career scientists, complementary expertise, and an excellent track record in delivering leading international science. EPStromNet will pool expertise in microbial and macro-ecology, geochemistry, isotope chemistry and coastal geomorphology, into a new partnership. Cutting-edge next-generation sequencing and eco-informatics tools will be used to identify similarities and differences in the diversity and composition of stromatolite communities within and between continents. These similarities and differences will be aligned with field-based geological mapping and modelling approaches, to determine the associated geological conditions of present and past (during different sea-level states) stromatolites. Stromatolites can be perceived as mini islands, and so allow us to address questions of island biogeography such as the extent to which environmental selection and dispersal limitation influence the diversity and composition of communities living in or on them. This network provides a unique opportunity to explore such macroecological questions at the scale of metres to thousands of kilometres. Furthermore, the depth and taxonomic breadth of our analysis will allow us to ask to what extent these drivers differ between taxa. We will also measure the characteristics of the microbial polysaccharide "glue" that binds the biogeostructures and traps particles, and its association with carbonate structures, key elements in the formation of stromatolites. Metagenomics (analysis on genes in the community)and activity experiments will give a first insight into metabolic processes and how they may lead to CO2 capture and the formation of calcium carbonate structures. This will establish hypotheses that will form the basis of future collaborations. This research therefore comprises a novel world-first investigation into the geobiological dynamics and drivers (genes-to-geosphere) of a range of stromatolite systems, only now feasible because of the discovery of these ecosystems in each of the three locations. No previous direct global-level assessment has been conducted on these stromatolites, nor of any comparable stromatolites in general. Outcomes will include new insights into the processes that create these geobiological systems, address questions of population-level similarity across diverse taxa across global spatial scales, and generate new ideas for interpreting the conditions required for early life and life on other worlds. Peritidal stromatolites are not directly protected anywhere globally, yet as a rare habitat, it is essential to document communities (including novel taxa), learn how they form, and determine their susceptibility to environmental change, so that they can be properly conserved. EPStromNet will create this new research partnership, which will continue into the future through plans to support early career researchers, develop post-graduate student opportunities and identify new research programmes and funding opportunities.